The Ancient Allure of Tea Draws Crowd to SFSU

Speakers, guests and volunteers celebrate at the end of a successful day.

More than 200 people came to San Francisco State University to learn about tea, from the Europeans’ first encounter with chanoyu (the traditional Japanese tea ceremony) to the sounds of water boiling.

The occasion was the 2ndOcha Zanmai – the 2013 San Francisco International Conference on Chanoyu and Tea Cultures, an all-day conference featuring presentations by experts, demonstrations and even tastes of exquisite green tea.

The conference was jointly organized by leaders from San Francisco State University and the University of San Francisco. The College of Liberal and Creative Arts and the Dilena Takeyama Center were hosts. Scores of presenters, volunteers and supporters kept the program running.

“Chanoyu cherishes the concept of Ichigo Ichie: every tea gathering is a very precious occasion, and the same chance never recurs in one's lifetime,” said chief organizer Prof. Midori McKeon of the Japanese Language & Literature Program. “In the same spirit, all those who were involved in the conference – the hosts, the presenters, the supporters, the staff and volunteer helpers – did a tremendous job to offer the very best they could. I believe that is why this conference was such a great success. I am extremely grateful.”